Bullying report hits the headlines

A new report from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales into bullying at Welsh schools has received extensive media coverage with its call for a radical overhaul of anti-bullying policy in Wales.

Entitled ‘SAM’S STORY – Listening to children and young people’s experiences of bullying in Wales,’ the 32-page report was designed by our Creative Director, Simon Connellan. It was picked up by mainstream press and reports on both Welsh BBC and ITV channels.

Two thousand children and young people contributed to ‘Sam’s Story,’asking for their experiences of bullying, along with the views of 300 professionals. It is available in both Welsh and English versions.

On the back of the report, Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales has called on the Welsh Government to place a statutory duty on schools to record all incidences and types of reported bullying, and to come up with a clear definition of bullying.

She said: ‘The purpose of this report is to highlight the real impact that being bullied is having on children’s lives and to ensure these strong messages play a part in shaping the new curriculum, teacher training and the reform of anti-bullying guidance.’

In the report school children highlighted differences like ethnicity, poverty, disability and gender stereotyping as key issues for bullies and said parents were often unresponsive.

The Children’s Commissioner has also called for schools to establish a preventative approach and enable children to recognise bullying behaviour at the earliest point.

Yogi designer, Simon Connellan said: “It was a privilege to be involved in such an important report into the future anti-bullying policy in Wales.

What made it even more rewarding and moving,  is the way the views of so many children are included along with hundreds of illustrations contribute by the pupils themselves. This dramatic visual content gives the report even more impact.”

Sam’s Story can be viewed at:

https://www.childcomwales.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Sams-Story.pdf